Maryland cannabis regulators warn of lead contamination risk as they expand tests for heavy metalsPosted by MMP News AuthorOn June 14, 2019

Medical cannabis regulators in Maryland expanded testing for heavy metals in marijuana products as they warned the public about the risk for possible lead contamination in popular vaping devices.

The Maryland Medical Cannabis Commission issued an advisory late Friday “to notify patients and other stakeholders of potential lead contamination of cannabis liquids in vape cartridges following exposure to heat.”

The warning comes as the commission is enacting new rules that will require heavy metal testing at the stage when companies are making products to be sold to the public. State-licensed cannabis growers have been required to test for metals since the medical program began in 2017.

The new testing rules were introduced “to correct an oversight of the original regulations,” said Joy Strand, executive director of the commission. Drafted late last year,…